Federal Way seeks to mitigate air traffic impacts as part of legislative priorities

Published 5:33 pm Thursday, January 7, 2016

Commercial airplanes flying into and out of Sea-Tac Airport are making their approaches more and more over residential areas in Federal Way. Now, residents and city leaders are saying enough is enough.

The Federal Way City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved passage of the council’s 2016 federal and state legislative priorities.

Working with the congressional and state legislative delegations to seek ways to mitigate the environmental and public health impacts of commercial aircraft topped the list.

“Our efforts are ongoing in terms of dialogue with the Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac (airport), and with the (Federal Aviation Administration),” said Brian Wilson, Federal Way’s chief of staff. “Part of this has been us understanding really what the environment is in terms of policy and procedure. What we’re seeing is there appears to be a difference between the south approaches and takeoffs versus the north from a policy standpoint.”

Wilson said he and city staff are assessing the environmental approvals that have taken place over history and seeing what flexibility the city has within that current environmental review.

“We are waiting for a report from the FAA pertaining to that exact issue in terms of what options are available for us to make potential policy changes in terms of approaches and takeoffs to the south, which is the biggest concern for our residents,” Wilson said. “There has been a good deal of information, cooperation provided by the Port and the FAA during this process. We have had good dialogue with them.”

Wilson said a factor that is clearly present is the “tremendous increase in air traffic” that has occurred as a result of the improving health of the Puget Sound regional economy.

A report published by the Port of Seattle last spring showed that during the first quarter of 2015, domestic and international air traffic had risen 13 percent, a figure three times what airport officials had anticipated.

During the same first quarter, the report showed that air freight, pushed by demand in international shipments, increased by 1.5 percent.

In November, the FAA and representatives from the Port and Sea-Tac Airport were part of a public meeting at Federal Way City Hall where more than 200 residents attended to voice their concern.

Mayor Jim Ferrell said it was a good turnout and at times, the conversation turned heated.

Wilson promised the City Council on Tuesday that this is a priority the city will continue to pursue through 2016.

Wasting no time, the Port’s chief executive officer will visit with Ferrell and Tim Johnson, the city’s economic development director, on Jan. 13.

Wilson said mitigation efforts could include the consideration to have planes fly at a much higher altitude and over commercial areas, as opposed to residential areas where there is a significant impact to public health and the environment.

The council on Tuesday also considered before them legislative priorities covering topics that comprised economic development, community development, transportation and public records reform.

Another priority with significant momentum around it is the goal to request from the legislative delegation $50,000 in capital funding to help finance a Veterans’ Monument to be located at Town Square Park.

The Washington state 2016 Legislative session starts Monday. It will be a 60-day session, much shorter than the 2015 session that made record books as being the longest in state history.